Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A 30-year-old woman from Beitbridge who stashed seven pockets of potatoes with mbanje, which she intended to transport to Harare in a Honda Fit has been jailed for an effective three years.
Since the start of the crackdown on drug peddling and smuggling along the border with South Africa, drug dealers have been devising several ways to evade arrest.
Some methods include hiding the contraband in false vehicle compartments, hiding them insider new refrigerators, stoves, washing powder, groceries and packets of potatoes.
In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Lea Leanah Chaka was arrested on the evening of September 18 while travelling in a Honda Fit.
She was convicted of unlawful dealing in dangerous drugs.
“At around 3am on September 19, the vehicle was stopped at the Bubi roadblock along the Beitbridge to Masvingo highway.
“During a police search, the officers discovered 17 cobs of mbanje (marijuana) hidden inside the potato packets. The contraband weighed a total of 9,3 kilogrammes with a street value of US$930,” said the NPA.
One year of her four-year jail term was suspended on condition of good behaviour. Chaka will serve an effective three years in jail.
“The conviction underscores the zero-tolerance stance against drug trafficking in Zimbabwe,” the NPA said.
